Taiwan was rocked by a magnitude 7.0 quake, but no major damage was reported | Earthquake News

The weather agency said damage from the quake was expected to be limited because it was deep and struck offshore.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Taiwan’s northeastern coastal city, the island’s weather agency said, with no immediate major damage.

The 73-kilometer (45-mile) quake was felt across Taiwan and shook buildings in the capital Taipei, the government said on Saturday, placing the quake in intensity category four, meaning there could be minor damage.

The Taipei city government said no major damage was reported in the immediate aftermath, but that there were isolated incidents of damage, including gas and water leaks and minor damage to buildings.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.6.

More than 3,000 households in Yilan briefly lost power, the Taiwan Power Company said.

Major chipmaker TSMC said a small number of its facilities in the northern Hsinchu Science Park had reached evacuation thresholds following the quake and that evacuated staff had since returned to their posts.

The weather agency said people should watch out for aftershocks of magnitude 5.5 to 6.0 next day. It also said damage from the quake was expected to be limited because it was relatively deep and occurred offshore.

Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te said in a social media post that authorities had the situation under control and also urged the population to watch out for aftershocks.

Located near the intersection of two tectonic plates, Taiwan is prone to earthquakes.

In April 2024, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake killed 17 people as it triggered landslides and severely damaged buildings around the city of Hualien.

Officials said at the time it was Taiwan’s strongest quake in 25 years.

A quake in southern Taiwan in 2016 killed more than 100 people, while a magnitude 7.3 quake in 1999 killed more than 2,000 people.